Camilla attends Treaty of Waitangi Brunch in London

The Duchess of Cornwall joined in the celebration on Friday to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. Camilla attended a brunch highlighting New Zealand food and drinks at a London restaurant.

6 February marks the 175th Anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. The brunch commemorated this milestone, and the UK’s relationship with New Zealand.

The event acknowledges the role food plays in people coming together. In New Zealand the word ‘manaakitanga’ describes caring for a person or group’s well-being, and can include offering hospitality.

Friday’s event celebrates the Treaty’s importance and the collective ties and history between the UK and New Zealand, by partaking in a meal together.

Every year on 6 February, New Zealand commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840.

Delegates of the British Crown and over 500 M?ori chiefs signed what’s considered New Zealand’s founding document. The first official commemoration took place in 1934 and has been a public holiday since 1974.

Governor-General Lord Bledisloe gifted the Treaty House and grounds at Waitangi to the nation in 1932. He imagined the site would become a national memorial, signifying that the Treaty of Waitangi had begun a distinctive relationship between the indigenous and the colonising people.

A trust board to improve the property organised and consisted of representatives of descendants of those included in creating the Treaty in 1840.

The Treaty House is New Zealand’s most-visited historical building. It’s managed by the Waitangi National Trust Board. In 1833 the house began as British Resident James Busby’s house. The house and grounds have been the focal point of Waitangi Day events ever since 1934.

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess visited New Zealand as part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in November 2012. The visit was Camilla’s first to the country.

Their visit began in Auckland to commemorate Armistice Day at the Auckland War Memorial. Members of the local Ngati Whatuaiwi (tribe) performed a Maori welcoming ceremony.

The Royal couples visited director Peter Jackson’s famous Weta Workshop in Wellington to look over costumes and props used in The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings movies.

It was during their trip; Prince Charles celebrated his 64th birthday in the capital at a gathering at Government House. A special group of 64 people who were also born on 14 November joined in the birthday celebration.

The trip will ended on a solemn note in Christchurch, where residents were recovering from the 2011 earthquake that claimed 185 lives.